This is a picture from about when I was crossing the Equator, and what seemed like one hundred dolphins swam by the boat. Some stayed as long as an hour, playing nearby. I've never seen so many dolphins together before.

Wow, must have been an awful sight, so when am I to expect you in Iceland ?

Trade Winds Tired Out

RichardSun Apr 25 0:01:00 EDT 2010

The Trade Winds have been great, gentle to moderate breezes from behind, pushing the boat along pleasantly. Today the Trade Winds got tired and decided to rest, so the seas are calm and I am doing a bit of motoring.

I sailed under the sun yesterday, and am now north of where the sun now is, at 12 degrees North. The days are getting measurably longer--not noticeably longer, but as I pay attention to the times of sunset and sunrise, I notice they are about 40 minutes longer. I'm hoping it gets cooler soon, but as long as the wind blows nicely, it is pleasant out here, far from land. Not much out here but birds and a few fish. After catching no fish for two weeks, a fish that must have been big took my lure yesterday. The brake on the fishing reel screeched a few seconds as the fish took off with the lure. Unfortunately, he completely took off with the lure, leaving me with just the line in the water (fortunately I have other lures to use).

After seeing no other vessels for ten days, yesterday a Chinese fishing boat came close yesterday, seeming to be looking for fish (they didn't have any gear out and was following what looked to be a search pattern), and last night a tanker passed. So it's not as quiet here as it would seem from a look at the position.

Did you see any sign of the Amazon discharge as you sailed by far offshore?

Making Frames for a Schooner

RichardWed Apr 21 10:00:00 EDT 2010, Cajaíba, Baia de Camamu, Brazil

Hammering the nails into the frames. The nails are about 50cm (18") long, of galvanized steel, and are covered with an oil before use. I understand the oil (I couldn't understand the answer of what kind of oil it is) is for preserving the wood, but probably also makes it easier to drive the nail in.

On the left of the picture, behind the men, are some completed frames. The pieces of wood that make up the frames are nailed together. It takes two men to hold the drill to bore the holes for the nails, which is what they are doing in this picture.